Multiple drum winch



Nov. 7, i950 R. G. LE TOURNEAU MULTIPLE DRUM WINCH 3 SheetsSh eet 1 Filed D60. 15, 1944 u m u e L R.

Patented Nov. 7, 1950 MULTIPLE DRUM WINCH -Rbert G. Le Tourneau, Peoria, Ill., assignor ;to

R. G. Le Tournean, Inc.,Stockton, Calif., a corporation of California Application December 15, 1944;Serial No.=568;290

1 Claim. 1 This invention relates in general to an improvedV-multiple drum winch, and in particular is directed to and it is an object to provide, a winch of this type adapted to be tracter mounted, preferably at the forwardend of.the tractor. Winches .so mounted are commonly known as front end ally controlled selectively operable fiuid pressure .clutch.

It is also an =object to provide a power winch, of the type descrioed, inclnding normally engaged but fluid pressure releasable brake units asso .ciated with the drive means for the cable drums.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a,mnltiple.drum winch wherein the separate drumflassemblies are normally locked against rotation, in a cable paying-out direction, by a flud pressure releasable brake as above, and engaged in driven relation with a power source by a normally released fiuid pressure actuated clutch; there being a .manually controlled fluid pressure system operative to eifect release of the brakes and engagement of the clutches when ,necessary.

Another object is to privide a multiple drum winch which includes a main cable drum assembly, and a pair of secondary cable .drum assemblies, the secondary drum assemblies each including a shaft, a normally disengaged clutch between each shaft and the corresponding drum, a pair of meshing driven gears fixed on said shafts, and se lectively engageable drive means between each of said meshing driven gears and the main assembly whereby to impart a reversible drive to the latter; said drive means including, for each gear, a normally disengaged clutch.

A still further object of the instant invention is to provide a multiple drive winch in which the several cable drums may be simultaneously or selectively driven as working conditions may re quire; the control of Such cable drums being by means of a fluid pressure system including hand operated valves arranged for ready manipulation by the operator.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference CJI 2 indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a iront elevation of the multiple -drum winch as mounted in connection with and supported J35 a heavyduty radiator protecting grille of a tractor.

Figure 2 is a somewhatdiagrammatic central elevation, mainly in section.

Figure 3"is a =diagrammatc plan VieW of the multiple drum assemblies,'togethar with the drive and control means therefor, including the fluid pressure control system.

' Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the power winch comprises a main cable drum l on a horizcntal shait which projects -into and across a housing 3; said shaft being supported in the housing by spaced bearings, indicated diagram- -matically at 4 and 5.

In the present embodiment the housing 3, which extends some distance below the shaft 2 and is of substantial width, is mounted on and supnorted -by -a heavy-duty radiator protecting grille 9 supported from the frame of a tracter (net shown) at the front end of the latter. The housing 3 is fixed to the front portion of the grille '6 and projects forwardly therefrom; said grille havinair passages 1 therethrough above and to the sides of the upper portion of the housing, whereby to permit of air entry to the tracter radiator.

A pair of secondary cable drums, indicated at 8 and 9, respectively, are ,disposed ahead of the ,housing 3 below the main cable drum I in transversely spaCed relation and symmetrical to Said drum I. The secondary cable drums 8 and 9 are -turnably but a:xially immovably supported on shafts in and l-l,*which shafts project rearwardly through the housing 3; the shafts Il) and Il being supported in said housing 3 by bearings indicated diagrammatically at 12 and l3.

A driven shaft M, preferably driven from the front end of the crank shaft of the tractor engine, extends forwardly into the grille 6 and through the housing 3, being supported by bearings I5 and se. Within the housing 3 the drive shaft M is fitted with a pinion 11 which meshes in driv- -ing relaton witn a relatively large-diameter gear l9 fixed on shaft i there being another similar gear i3 xed-on shait -H) and running in constant mesh with the gear l9, whereby upon rotation of the drive shaft 44 the pinion l! rotates gear l9, and the latter in turn rotates gear [8.

The shafts M and I l are selectively engageable in driving relation to the drums 8 and 9 'by means of normally disengaged fiuid pressure actuated clutches arranged with said drums, and indicated generally at and 2 I. The clutches are shown diagrammatically and each includes a part 22 fixed with the corresponding drum and another part 23 fixed with the corresponding drum supporting shaft; the parts 22 and 23 of each clutch being engaged in driving relation upon introduction of fluid pressure into the clutch in the manner hereinafter described.

The structural details of the fluid pressure actuated clutches 29 and 21 form no part of the present invention.

It Will be seen that with engagement et either clutch 20 or 2l the corresponding one of the secondary cable drums will be driven in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1; the direction of rotation of said secondary cable drums being in opposite directions, as indicated.

The secondary cable drums 8 and 9 are normally locked against rotation in a direction contra to the direction of drive thereof by means of brake units, indicated generally at 24 and 25, respectively; said brake units each including a brake band 26 surrounding a brake drum 21 formed in connection with the rear end of the corresponding cable drum.

The brake units 24 and are self-energized and adapted to be released by fluid pressure. As with the clutches 20 and 2l, the structural details of the brake units 24 and 25 form no part of the present invention.

The main cable drum l is reversibly driven in the following manner:

* A relatively large-diameter gear 23 is fixed on shaft 2 within housing 3 and at circumferentially spaced points adjacent the bottom of said gear it meshes with idler gears 29'and 30, which in turn mesh with pinions 3l and 32 rotatably but axially immovably mounted on shafts I9 and II, respectively, within said housing 3. The pinions 31 and 32 include hubs 33 and 34 which extend rearwardly through the bearings l2 to a termination adjacent but short of the rear ends of shafts l0 and H, which likewise project into the grille 6. Normally disengaged fluid pressure actuated clutches, indicated generally at 35 and 36, are coupled between the hubs 33 and 34 and the shafts (9 and Il within the grille; each of said clutches including a part 31 fixed on the corresponding shait and a part 38 fixed on the corresponding hub. The clutch 36 has associated therewith a normally engaged fluid releasable brake unit 39 which includes a brake band 40 surrounding a drum 4l formed on the part 38 of clutch 39.

It Will be seen that upon engagement of the clutch 35 the main cable drum I will be driven in one direction, while engagement of the clutch 35 Will cause rotation of said drum in an opposite direction. When the clutches 35 and 36 are released the brake unit 39 maintains the main cable drum l against rotation in a cablepaying out direction.

The manually actuated fluid pressure control system for the clutches 20, 2 l 35, and 36, together With the brake units 24, 25, and 39, is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3, and comprises the following arrangement:

A fluid pressu-ieed conduit 42 and a fluid pressure return conduit 43 are branched, as shown in Fig. 3, to provide fluid pressure supply leads 44, 45, and 46, respectively, and fluid pressure return leads 4l, 48, and 49, respectively. The fluid pressure supply and return leads 44 and 41 are adapted to be selectively connected with conduits 50 and 59a by means of a manually actuated four-way valve 5l, the conduits 50 and 50a leading to the clutch 20 and the brake unit 24, respectively, corresponding to the secondary cable drum 8. Similarl, the, fluid pressure supply and return leads 46 and 49 are adapted to be selectively connected with other conduits 52 and 52a by means of a manually actuated four-way valve 53; the conduits 52 and 52a leading to the clutch 2l and brake unit 25, respectively, corresponding to the secondary drum 9. As the clutches 20 and 2l are iormed at the forward ends of the cable drums 8 and 9, and as the conduits 50 and 52 connect With such clutches at the front, it may be desirable to shield such agSemblies aeainst damage, and which shielding may take any convenient form.

When it is desired to drive either of the secondary cable drums 8 or 9, the corresponding valve 5! or 53 is turned to a position to introduce pressure into conduit 59 or 52, eausing pressure actuation and engagement of the clutch 20 or 2l. The brake units 24 and 25 are of the type which over-run When the corresponding cable drums are driven ina cable winding-on direction and normally hold against rotation of said drums in a cable paying-out direction. Thus it is not necessary to positively release the brake units 24 and 25 when the corresponding drums are driven in a cable winding-on direction.

The operator, by proper manipulation of valves 51 or 53, can efiect engagement of either clutch 20 or 2l to cause rotation of the corresponding secondary cable drum in a cable winding-on direction, or can effect positive release of either brake unit 24 or 25 so that the correspondin secondary cable drum runs free to permit of cable paying-out from said drum; all selectively.

The fluid pressure control system includes, for control of the main cable drum l, a four-way valve 54 connected between the fluid pressure supply and return conduits 45 and 48, and other conduits 55 and 56. The conduit 55 is branched With the branches leading to the clutches 35 and brake unit 39. The conduit 56 leads to the clutch 36. When the valve 54 is set to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, the clutch 35 i engaged, the clutch 36 is disengaged, and the brake unit 39 is released; the main cable drum l then being driven through the medium of pinion 3l, idler 29 and gear 28 in a cable paying ont direction.

When the four-way valve 54 is set in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the clutch 35 is disengaged, and the clutch 33 is engaged, Whereby the gear 28 is driven in a reverse or winding-on direction through the medium of pinion 32, idler 30 and gear 28. In this direction of drive the brake unit 39 has no fluid pressure introduced thereinto, and need not be positively released, as such brake unit, which is of the selfenergizing type, overruns in this direction of rotation of the gear train of pinion 32, idler 39, and gear 28.

The valves 3l, 33, and 54 are preferably as sembled in adjacent convenient relation in the operators compartment of the tractor on which the povver winch may be mounted, and by proper manipulation of said valves in the manner heretofore described, the operator can cause rotation, selectively, of the drums l, 8, or 9, including a reversible drive of said drum l.

While the above described multiple drum winc is especially designed for front end mounting on a tractor and for use in connection with logging operations, it is evident that the invention is not limited to such a mounting o use.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail ma be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by' the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

A multiple drum Winch unit comprising a support, a pair of substantially parallel shafts mounted in the support, means to drive said shafts simultaneously and in opposite directions a cable drum mounted on each shaft for rotative but not axial movement thereon, means for selectively clutching or declutching each drum to or from its respective shaft, a third shaft mounted in said support in substantial parallelism With said pair of shafts and lying in vertically spaced relation thereto, a drum fixed to the third shaft, a hub mounted for rotative but not axia1 movement on each shaft of said pair of shafts, means to selectively clutch or declutch each hub to or from its respective shaft, a gear on each hub, a gear on the third shaft and which latter gear is disposed in spaced relation to both of said first named gears, and an idler gear interposed between each of said first named gears and the gear on the third shaft and meshing therewith; said hub clutching and declutching means including a normally disengaged clutch on each hub and a normally set brake on one hub, and means to selectivel simultaneously release the brake on said one hub and engage the clutch on the other hub or engage the clutch on said one hub leaving the clutch on the other hub free, such brake being of the self-energizing type and overrunning with the rotation of its hub when the latter is clutched to its corresponding shaft. ROBERT G. LE TOURNEA.

REFERENCES CIIED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

